WELCOME

Safety is more important today than ever before. The recycling industry is under greater scrutiny by regulators and the cost of accidents—both monetary and human—continues to skyrocket. The need to make our workplaces safer is clear, but getting the old school workers on board with the change and convincing the younger workers they are not invincible can be a daunting challenge. Every day, as safety professionals, we fight the mentality of "this is how we've always done it" and "nothing will happen to me." We strive to overcome this complacency, but it’s never easy.

In addition to getting employees to buy into a safety culture and adhere to the rules, we must also understand exactly what needs to be done and how to do it correctly. The ISRI Safety and Environmental Council (ISEC) provides insight into the areas where we thirst for knowledge. Safety is not a guarded trade secret and the sharing of information by this council can provide an immeasurable stepping stone towards achieving your safety goals.

While I stand firm that ISEC has something to offer every attendee, I also realize that some safety programs are more advanced than others, and I reach out to the more sophisticated safety professionals to lend a hand in advancing those programs that are less developed. Not only can you take away valuable information, you could provide information to the group to enhance the common goal of making our industry safer. This is my goal for ISEC and I'm sure it's one that is shared by my colleagues.

There is much you can gain and much you can share at the ISRI Safety and Environmental Council meetings. This is your council and its success is driven by you. Help us to grow and experience your own growth. Help us to do it "Safely or Not at All."